The invention relates to a pull-out blocking device for at least two pull-out furniture parts which can be pulled out from a furniture body in a pull-out direction from a completely refracted position into a completely pulled-out position and can be retracted into the furniture body in an opposite direction to the pull-out direction, said pull-out blocking device including, for each of the pull-out furniture parts, a driver which is displaced in the pull-out direction when the pull-out furniture part is pulled out and in an opposite direction to the pull-out direction when the pull-out furniture part is refracted, for each of the pull-out furniture parts, a blocking unit which comprises an actuating part, which is adjusted as a result of the movement of the driver when one of the pull-out furniture parts is pulled out and retracted, as well as a retraction spring by means of which the respectively associated pull-out furniture part is retractable over a last portion of the path it covers when retracting into the furniture body, blocking rods which interact with the actuating parts and are mounted so as to be displaceable in the direction of their longitudinal axes, wherein a respective actuating part, which is adjusted as a result of the movement of the driver associated therewith when the associated pull-out furniture part is pulled out, displaces at least one of the blocking rods in the direction of its longitudinal axis and, as a result, the blocking rods are blocked against further axial displacement by means of a stop.
Pull-out blocking devices prevent two or more pull-out furniture parts, which are coupled together by means of the pull-out blocking device, e.g. drawers which are arranged one above another, from being pulled out simultaneously. The pull-out furniture parts can therefore only be pulled out alternately. Central blocking is also frequently realized by means of such pull-out blocking devices.
In a conventional design, such a pull-out blocking device comprises blocking rods which only have limited space for the displacement thereof. An actuating part, which interacts with at least one of the blocking rods, is provided for each pull-out furniture part. When one of the pull-out furniture parts is pulled out, at least one of the blocking rods is displaced by the corresponding actuating part. In this case, the space for the displacement of the blocking rods is used up and the blocking rods are blocked against further displacement by means of a stop. A further pull-out furniture part can consequently not be pulled out at the same time.
Various embodiments of pull-out blocking devices with blocking rods are known. For example, DE 29 620 152 U1, EP 1 336 709 A1 and WO 2008/107499 A1 show the blocking rods being actuated by actuating parts which, when the respective pull-out furniture part is pulled out, are pivoted by the driver about a pivot axis which lies at right angles to the longitudinal axes of the blocking rods. Apart from the actuating part which is provided for displacing the blocking rod that is furthest away from the stop, the actuating parts each lie between two of the blocking rods and are arranged so as to be displaceable with said blocking rods. Pull-out blocking devices which are realized in a similar manner proceed from DE 34 31 386 C2, DE 93 11 534 U1 and DE 43 25 920 C2, the actuating parts in this case being pivotable about axes which lie parallel to the longitudinal axes of the blocking rods.
GB 2376043 A shows a pull-out blocking device where the actuating parts which interact with the blocking rods are pivotable about pivot axes which lie parallel to the longitudinal axes of the actuating rods. The actuating parts are provided with radially protruding continuations which form catch arms which are actuated by the drivers which are mounted on the pull-out furniture parts. When one of the pull-out furniture parts is pulled out, the catch arm is pivoted by the driver from an initial position into an end position, a portion of the catch arm moving into a recess and locking in said recess which is provided in a respective housing. The housings mount the blocking rods so as to be displaceable. The rotatable bearing arrangement of the actuating parts and with them the catch arms is effected as a result of axial projections of the actuating parts which are accommodated by axial openings in end portions of the blocking rods.
A pull-out blocking device of the type named in the introduction which is combined with a retracting device proceeds from EP 1 500 763 A2. Retracting devices (also called self-closing or pull-in mechanisms) serve for the purpose of automatically retracting a pull-out furniture part over a final portion of its retraction path and thus ensuring the completely retracted state of the pull-out furniture part. In the case of the device known from EP 1 500 763 A2, the actuating parts which interact with the blocking rods are formed by slides which are mounted so as to be displaceable in a straight line. Said slides are in each case acted upon by a retraction spring which is tensioned when the slide is displaced from the initial position into the end position. A tilting part is mounted on the slide so as to be displaceable about an axis which lies parallel to the blocking rods and is entrained with the slide. When one of the pull-out furniture parts is pulled out, the driver thereof engages in the tilting part and entrains the tilting part and consequently the slide until the slide reaches its end position, the tilting part tilting, as a result of which the driver is able to move out and the slide is locked in the end position. When the pull-out furniture part is retracted, the approaching driver pivots the tilting part back, as a result of which the driver is coupled to the tilting part and the locking of the slide in the end position is lifted such that the slide is pulled by the retraction spring in the direction of its initial position. The movement of the slide, in this connection, is damped by a damper which is formed by a piston-cylinder unit.
Retraction devices with and without damping devices are known from a plurality of further publications. For example, a pull-in mechanism where there is a tilt slider which is displaceable against the force of a spring proceeds from AT 401334 B. The tilt slider is arranged on a slide, which is displaceable in a straight line against the force of the spring in the pull-out direction of the drawer, so as to be tiltable about a tilt axis. In the case of the retraction device known from AT 393948 B, there is also a tilt slider which is displaceable against the force of a spring along a guide path. The guide path has a straight portion and a curved portion which brings about the pivoting of the tilt slider about an imaginary tilt axis into its tilted end position. A further damped retraction device where the tilt slider interacts with a push-in damper is known, for example, from EP 1 532 892 A1. The spring-loaded tilt slider interacts, in this case, with a linear damper in the form of a piston-cylinder unit which operates, in particular, in a pneumatic manner. Self-closing mechanisms which are damped by means of rotary dampers are also known.
A retraction device with a bent arm, which is mounted so as to be rotatable about a stationary horizontal axis and is acted upon by a retraction spring, which is incorporated into a piston-cylinder unit which forms a damper, proceeds from EP 1 384 420 B1. A driver, which interacts with the catch arm and comprises a sliding path, is arranged on the rear side of the full-out furniture part. When the pull-out furniture part is pulled out, the arm, proceeding from an initial position, is pivoted about the horizontal axis into an end position in which the driver is uncoupled from the arm. When the arm is pivoted from the initial position into the end position, a dead point of the retraction spring is traveled over.
A locking device, where a spring-loaded catch part which is mounted so as to be pivotable about an axis is pivoted by a driver, which is mounted on the pull-out furniture part, between an initial position and the end position, proceeds from GB 1,117,071. The spring, in this connection, is moved over a dead point.
Further dampers which are realized in the form of piston-cylinder units for damping the retraction movement of movably mounted furniture parts proceed, for example, from DE 20 2005 020 820 U1 and DE 10 213 726 A1. In addition, rotary dampers are known where a highly viscous medium is arranged in a gap between a fixed damper part and a rotatably mounted damper part. The braking force is produced by said damping medium which is stressed with shear. Dampers of this type proceed, for example, from DE 10 210 917 C1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,282 A, JP 59-222631 A and U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,432 A.
In addition, friction dampers which operate in a purely mechanical manner are known. Thus, wraparound parts which surround an internal friction part and with said part realize a friction pairing proceed, for example, from DE 19 938 626 A1, DE 201 16 197 U1 and JP 01-266331 A. The disadvantage of friction dampers is that the braking force they exert is basically not dependent on speed.
DE 10 313 659 B3, DE 10 214 596 A1, DE 19 717 937 A1, AT 503 877 B1 and EP 1 260 159 A2 make known piston-cylinder units where an air pressure difference that is realized between the two piston sides acts on an elastically deformable piston part such that the exerted friction force depends on the air pressure difference and consequently on the speed of the component to be damped. A vehicle shock absorber where a flexibly realized wraparound part which abuts in a frictional manner against an inner friction part that is formed by a friction drum proceeds from DE 601 293 C. As a result of coupling one end of the wraparound part with a hydraulically operating damper, the friction force acting between the wraparound part and the friction drum is able to be influenced.